Jane Doe
by DarkHorse1
Summary: Ryo and Dee are on the trail of a serial rapist and murderer. What happens when their only witness can't talk? Aftermath of the encounter with the villain, and one step closer to Jane's true identity and a look into her past.
1. Chapter 1

DarkHorse says:  All right, this is my first FAKE story, so bear with me.  I'm a little embarrassed about writing lemon scenes, so don't expect too much of that in here, but if you really beg, I'll do it (that doesn't mean I can't write lemon scenes.  Go read "Shower Scene" if you're curious.)  If two guys ain't your thing, take a walk.  Onward!  P.S: me no own, you no sue.

Randy "Ryo" MacLean pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "This case is driving me nuts."

His partner, Dee Laytner, plopped down in the chair across from him with an "oomph". "I know. How many victims? Six? And all of them are too afraid to talk. Or, in that one lady's case, unable."

"So what do we have? A serial rapist and sometime murderer, all his victims have been in their early 20s, and he likes to play rough. Injuries include: a collapsed trachea, broken legs, broken jaw, broken wrists, and dislocated shoulders. Sounds like he doesn't want them to move or talk," Ryo said.

"Sounds like it's working."

"Yeah. I spoke with some of the doctors again today, and they said that the tracheal damage may be permanent."

"Shit. If and when we catch this guy, how're we going to make a case with witnesses that can't talk?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The man had been tracking his prey for several blocks before cornering it in an alley.  She was a little dirtier than what he was used to, but it was something to do.  "Hey hey, pretty, where are you goin'? Why don't we have some fun?"  The man said, towering over his prey, looking down at her with feral brown eyes.

The young woman shook her head.

"Aw, don't be shy, pretty. Come closer."

She shook her head again and backed up.

"If you go that way, you'll just run into a wall, pretty."

She kept going, and her back hit the wall.

"See? Well, that makes it easier, I guess." He started to undo his belt buckle. The woman made like she was going to run past him, but he grabbed her and slammed her against the wall. "No escape, pretty." He clamped a hand over her mouth. "One sound out of you, and I'll crush your jaw. Got it, pretty?" He asked, knowing that at this hour, no one would hear her anyways.

The woman didn't move.

"Got it?!" He yelled, and slammed her head against the wall. Her eyes rolled back as she lost consciousness.  "Good.  More fun for me."  He tore her pants and underwear off with no hesitation.  He thrust into her almost lifeless body a dozen times before climaxing.  Cleaning himself off with the woman's discarded underwear, he pulled his pants back on and sauntered out of the alley like nothing happened.

It was sometime later when the woman finally woke up. Her jaw was bruised from when he grabbed her. She looked down. There was a steady trickle of blood and something else flowing down her legs. She forced herself to her feet and staggered out of the alley, naked from the waist down.  The morning rush hour traffic hadn't started yet, and the people who did drive past took no notice of her. She wandered blindly for a few blocks before coming upon a police station.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Man, I hate working this shift," Dee complained, as he stretched in his chair. He looked over at his partner, who, leaning on one arm of his chair, head back, seemed to be asleep. ~Score!~ Dee's mind shouted. He quietly got up and made his way over to Ryo. He leaned down and…

"Nice try, Dee."

Dee jumped. "Jesus, Ryo!"

"I was just thinking, and besides, it's not like I'd actually fall asleep on the job," Ryo said, rolling his eyes disgustedly.  

"Yeah, well, I guess." Dee's eyes got (more) mischievous.  He quickly leaned over again and captured Ryo's mouth with his.

"Mmph!" Ryo pushed Dee back. "Dee, stop it! What if someone sees us?"

"Is that your only problem? If it is, hell, let's go back to my place. No one will see us there."

Ryo just glared.

"Ooh, keep looking at me like that. You're really teaching me a lesson. Besides, we're pretty much the only ones here now anyways," Dee said, looking at his watch.  It read 5:35 am.  At least a half hour before everyone else came in.

"Our shift's almost over. Someone could still walk in."

As if on cue, in walked a woman, half naked, bruised and bleeding.

"Holy shit!" Dee yelled.

Both men stood up as she hobbled towards them. Ryo ran and caught her just as she pitched forward.

"Let's get her to the hospital!" Ryo said.  

            Dee grabbed their coats and headed for the door, just as Commissioner Rose was coming in.

            "What's going on?  Laytner!"

            "Sorry, Rose.  We're going to take a woman to the hospital.  It looks like she's another victim.  Good timing, though, you can hold the fort while we're gone!" Dee shouted as he hopped into Ryo's car.

            They pulled up at the hospital about 15 minutes later.  Doctors came and whisked the woman out of Ryo's arms and into an exam room.

            "Think she'll be okay?" Dee asked.

            "I hope so," Ryo said, looking down at his gloved hands, which were slightly bloodied.  He pulled them off and tossed them into a trash can.  "She was so light."

            "Yeah, she looked almost like a homeless person.  Maybe it's not the same guy?  Homeless people don't fit his MO."

            "I know, but…anyways, hopefully we get something we can work with."

            Ryo and Dee waited in the hospital for an hour before the doctor found them.

            "So?  How is she?" Ryo asked him.

            "Well, she was lucky if this was that serial rapist.  No broken bones, just a bruised jaw and a minor concussion.  There was some tearing around her vaginal area.  We also managed to get a semen sample from her.  It seems like this just happened."

            "That's good.  Maybe we'll be able to figure out who this creep is.  What about her?  Who is she?" Dee asked.

            "Well, she didn't have an ID on her, so we'll have to do a DNA test or run her dental records.  Either way, it's going to take about two or three weeks."

            "Is she awake?  We'd like to ask her some questions," Ryo said.

            "Yes…but anything we tried to ask her went ignored.  Maybe you'll do a better job."

            Ryo and Dee walked into the woman's hospital room.  Her eyes flickered towards them.

            "Hello.  I'm Detective Randy MacLean and this is my partner, Dee Laytner.  We'd like to ask you a few questions.  Is that okay?"

            There was no response from the woman; she just kept looking at them, her icy blue eyes staring.

            "Hey, you don't have to be afraid of us.  We're going to try and find out who did this to you.  Can you tell me your name?"

            Silence.

            "We're trying to help," Dee said.

            More silence.

            "Is she deaf?" Dee asked no one in particular.

            The doctor walked in just then.  "Gentlemen, could I see you outside for a moment?"

            "What's up, doc?"

            Ryo elbowed Dee in the side.

            "What?"

            "I did a little checking, and it seems that a woman matching her description was hospitalized for a rape about five years ago.  He really messed her up.  Put her in a coma for a month, during which she was intubated.  Now, being intubated for that long can paralyze the vocal cords."

            "That would explain her silence then," Ryo said.

            "Is there anyway to get her to talk?"

            "Well, she should have undergone some therapy, but I don't see any evidence of that in the file I found.  Shortly after waking from the coma, she just walked out.  She may be a runaway."

            "Damn.  Were they able to ID her?" Dee asked.

            "No.  They just called her 'Jane'."

            "Jane Doe."

            DarkHorse says:  Evidently, my computer doesn't think that "intubated" is a word.  You guys know what that is right?  That's the tube doctors stick down your throat to help you breathe.  It can paralyze the vocal cords if left in too long; I don't know the exact amount of time that would take, but I'm not trying to be really scientific here.  Thank God for "ER". ;-)

            Also, (I know, I hate long author notes too, but I'm almost done) my stories are usually very dialog driven, so that may make them seem short.  I'm working on that.  This is actually the first two chapters combined into one.

            All right, I'll shut up now.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, Rose.  Where do you want her to stay?  In jail?  The hospital?  How about we throw her back out on the street."

            "Ryo…"

            "Let her stay with me until we find somewhere decent for her, or until we find the rapist."

            Berkeley Rose sighed.  "I'll give you a month.  Hopefully you and that lazy slug you call a partner will have caught the guy by then."

            "Thank you!"  Ryo turned around and walked back to his desk.  "Dee, Rose is letting Jane stay with me until we solve the case."

            "Yeah, I heard.  I also heard the 'lazy slug' comment, too."

            Ryo chuckled.

            Dee shook his head.  "Well, the doctor said Jane could be released today, right?"

            "Yeah, I was going to pick her up after work.  Care to join me?"

            "Oh, you have no idea how good that sounded to me."

            "Dee!"

            "I'm just kidding, jeez!  But yeah, I'll help you move her in."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

            "All right Jane, welcome to 'chez de Ryo'," Dee said, leading the way into Ryo's apartment.

            Bikky greeted them.  "Hi, I'm Bikky.  Nice to meet you.  There, can I go now?"

            Ryo rolled his eyes.  "Fine, fine.  Just be back by 10pm!"

            "How much did you have to pay him to say that?" Dee asked.

            "Dee!  Jane, you can have Bikky's room for now.  He'll sleep on the couch or with me."

            Jane wandered through the apartment, checking things out.  Appearing satisfied, she sat down on the couch.

            Dee and Ryo looked at each other.  "Now what?" Dee asked.

            "Well, I was going to make dinner.  Is spaghetti okay with you guys?"

            "You could make anything, Ryo, and I'd eat it," Dee said, smirking.

            Ryo gave a long suffering sigh.  "Jane?"

            She gave a small nod.

            "Well, at least we know she's not deaf."

            "Dee!  While I'm making dinner, you go keep her company."

            "How am I supposed to keep a mute company?  Start a one sided conversation?"

            "Dee…"

            "All right!  Jeez."  He sauntered into the living room and sat next to Jane on the couch.  "You know, you can turn on the TV."  He sighed when she made no move to do so.  "Neither one of us are going to hurt you.  I guess you can consider this your home for a while, so make yourself comfortable.  Ryo'll take care of you.  He takes care of Bikky just fine, and that brat's got almost as many problems as you do.  He was the son of a dead drug dealer, and Ryo took him in.  He also paid Cal's father's bail money, too.  Cal's Bikky's 'girlfriend'.  I'm sure you'll meet her soon.  Man, this *is* turning into a one sided conversation!  Ryo!  Is dinner ready yet?"

            "It's been like two minutes, Dee."

            Dee grumbled under his breath.  "I really wish you'd talk.  I feel like I'm talking to myself here."  He jumped when he felt a hand on his arm.

            Jane was looking at him intently, urging him with her eyes to go on.

            "Huh.  I suppose I can tell you a little about everyone you're likely to meet around here.  Let's see.  Well, Commissioner Berkeley Rose will probably show up sooner or later.  You may have seen him before. Tall guy, blue eyes, glasses, blond hair.  He's got the hots for Ryo, but too bad!  Ryo's mine!  You might see JJ, too, but I hope not.  He thinks there's something between me and him.  There isn't!  Don't let him fool you!  I've only got eyes for Ryo!"

            Jane kept looking at him, only she seemed slightly amused.

            "Yeah, make fun of me.  He ignores me half the time anyways.  Bikky thinks I'm just trying to get into Ryo's pants, but that isn't it.  Well, not totally.  I don't know what it is about him…I don't even know why I'm telling you this.  It's not like it's a big secret about how I feel.  I'm sure Ryo knows.  Hell, probably all of New York City knows by now.  He's shown affection for me before, like when we went on vacation and he actually initiated a kiss between us.  I just don't know why he always pulls away when we start to get a little more…intimate. What do you think is wrong with him?"

            Jane, of course, was silent.

            "I forgot who I was dealing with.  Is it me?  Ah what the hell.  I'm sure you don't want to hear about it." Dee leaned back and sighed.

            Jane touched his arm again to get his attention.

            "What?"

            She pointed at him, and then shook her head.

            "It's not me?"

            She nodded.

            "Well, I guess that's a little comforting."

            "Dee, Jane!  Dinner's ready!"

            The three of them sat at the table in relative silence.

            "So, what did you and Jane talk about?" Ryo asked.

            "Nothing, really.  I just warned her about Rose and JJ and gave her a little background on you and Bikky and Cal."

            "That's nice.  Anything else?"

            Jane pointed at Ryo.

            "You talked about me?" Ryo chuckled.  "Nothing too embarrassing, I hope."

            Then she pointed at Dee.

            Dee had a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth.  It froze.  Ryo was wiping his mouth on a napkin.  It stayed there for a good thirty seconds before he put it down.

            "What did you tell her Dee?" Ryo's voice had an edge to it.

            "Nothing!  I swear!  Well, nothing that you don't already know!  For the most part, anyways!"

            Jane looked like she was trying not to laugh.  She waved her hand to get their attention and then pointed at the door, herself, and made a walking motion with her fingers.

            "No, you don't have to leave," Ryo sighed. 

            "It's not my fault.  You told me to have a one sided conversation with her.  I just talked.  Besides, it's not like she's going to *tell* anybody about this!  It's still a secret."

            "That's not it, Dee.  I just wish you hadn't told her when she's probably got a lot of other things on her mind.  She doesn't need to be worrying about our love life."

            "We've got one?" Dee asked excitedly.  ~Shitchyeah!  I'm making progress!~

            "You know what I meant," he said.  He looked over at Jane who was shaking her head. 

            "See!  She doesn't mind at all."

            Ryo groaned in defeat.  Jane patted his shoulder comfortingly.  "This is all your fault, you know."

            Jane only smiled.

DarkHorse says:  Only a wee bit sappy.  Once I get rolling on this story, the plot will (hopefully) develop.  By the way "shitchyeah" is a combo of shit and yeah. I was thinking Jay and Silent Bob: "Shitchyeah! We gotsta get paid!"


	3. Chapter 3

"So? Is she talking yet?"  
  
"Commissioner, it's only been a week. I'm just starting to get her to trust me. Besides, even if she wanted to talk, she just *can't*, and there's nothing I can do to make her."  
  
"Well, without her, this guy's going to get away from us!"  
  
"I know that! But there's nothing I can do about her! Dee and I are pursuing other leads right now, and giving Jane time to heal and rest."  
  
"We don't have that time, Ryo."  
  
"Why? I know we need to catch this guy, but I'm not going to do it at the expense of Jane's sanity."  
  
"I told the media we had a witness."  
  
"You what?!"  
  
"I had to. With pressure from the mayor and the general public, I had to let them know that we were making some sort of progress."  
  
"But the witness can't talk! What happens when the media comes looking for her? Huh? What happens when they find her and try to talk to her? They're going to find out that she's mute, and that's not going to go over real well. We don't really have a witness!"  
  
"Ryo, look, I'm sorry—"  
  
"No, I don't think you are. You're just trying to save your own ass. You could have told them anything but that we had a witness. Now it's only a matter of time before the media finds her. I hope you're happy. You pretty much just screwed over the entire case." With that, Ryo turned on his heel and stalked out of Rose's office.  
  
Dee whistled. "Way to go Ryo!"  
  
"Shut up. I can't believe he would do something like this! To Jane!"  
  
A little taken aback by being told to shut up (especially by Ryo), Dee said, "C'mon. It's not that bad. The media isn't going to find her today or even tomorrow. We can call the hospital and tell them not to say anything. We'll let Bikky know not to let anyone in unless it's you or me, and not to say anything about Jane."  
  
"Dee, no matter how many precautions we take, someone is going to find her. I understand that Rose had to do something, but this was just...I've gotta go talk to Jane," Ryo said, and grabbed his coat.  
  
Dee, of course, got up as well. "I'm comin' too. Maybe if they're on to your place, we can hide her at mine. It won't be as nice, but it'll be something."  
  
"Thanks, Dee, I appreciate that," Ryo said and smiled at his partner.  
  
"I wish you would smile like that at me more often. Be still my heart!"  
  
Ryo gave Dee a disbelieving look, and then rolled his eyes and shook his head.  
  
"What?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Jane?" Ryo called as they walked into the apartment.  
  
She poked her head out of the bathroom and held up a finger. She ducked back inside.  
  
Dee looked at his watch. "It's almost one o'clock and she's just now taking a shower? What a bum."  
  
"Dee!"  
  
They waited around for a few more minutes before Jane, with a towel wrapped around her head, finally got out of the bathroom.  
  
They sat down, and Ryo began. "Jane, I've got some bad news. It turns out that our idiot Commissioner told the media that we had a witness. He didn't give them any details, but it's only a matter of time before they find you here. When that happens, Dee's offered to let you stay at his place, or maybe we can work something else out."  
  
She nodded her head and pointed at Dee.  
  
"You'll stay with him when it comes to that? Good."  
  
Jane looked thoughtful for a minute, and then got up and went to the kitchen. She came back with a pencil and paper. She scribbled on it for a second before handing it to Ryo.  
  
"'Let me "talk" to the Commissioner.' Jane, I don't know if that's such a good idea. If someone sees you coming in with us, they'll put two and two together."  
  
"Wait a minute, Ryo," Dee said, and turned to Jane, "Why haven't you written to us before? It'd be a lot easier than trying to figure out hand signals! And you could tell us your real name, and..." he trailed off as he saw the look in Jane's eyes.  
  
"Jane? Is something wrong?" Ryo asked, seeing the look as well.  
  
She waved her hand, dismissing the question. She got up and went to her room (which was actually Bikky's) and returned a few minutes later with her wet hair combed and pulled into a ponytail. She grabbed her coat (which was actually one of Ryo's) and stood in front of the door impatiently.  
  
"I guess she wants to go," Dee said.  
  
"I've got a bad feeling about this."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The three walked into the precinct and made their way to Rose's office. Jane pretty much just barged in. Rose was on the phone, and when he saw who just came in, he ended the call.  
  
"What's going on? Why is she here?" He asked Dee and Ryo, and not looking at Jane.  
  
She waved her hand to get his attention. When she had it, she flipped him off and shook her head in disgust before walking out. Ryo stood there with his mouth open in shock, and Dee was trying not to laugh.  
  
Rose, for his part, looked confused, as if wondering what the hell just happened.  
  
"Well," Dee said with a chuckle. "It looks like we know how Jane feels about the situation.  
  
Sorry this took so long. Maybe I'll get back into it. 


	4. Chapter 4

The man stood in front of the dingy mirror, admiring his handy work. The two weeks of facial hair were gone, his hair was neatly cut and combed, and he actually felt clean. He needed to look his best for the job he was going to do.  
  
He turned to the television, watching the news about the serial rapist and how the police had finally found a witness. The police weren't divulging any other information, but it was only a matter of time before the witness was found by the media.  
  
He snorted in disgust, mainly at his own stupidity. He tried to figure out which one he had let get away.  
  
He turned back to the TV, where the police commissioner was giving a statement.  
  
"Yes, we do have a witness, but since she was injured in the attack, she has not been able to give us a full description of the culprit. The forensics lab is doing some preliminary analysis on the DNA found on the woman."  
  
"What is the condition of the victim?" a reporter asked.  
  
"She is stable, and that's all the information I can tell you about her condition at this time, mainly for her safety, and partly to keep the integrity of the case."  
  
"Do you know who she is?"  
  
"Unfortunately, she was carrying no ID, and due to her condition we have been unable to get any information from her, either about herself or the perpetrator of these crimes."  
  
"Is she still in the hospital, then?"  
  
"Yes. Before you ask, I can't tell you which one. That's all I have time for, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you."  
  
The television cut back to the news room. "That was police commissioner Berkeley Rose, speaking from the 27th precinct. And now, for our first look at the weather, here's Michelle..."  
  
27th precinct, huh? When had he been near there...Then it occurred to him. It was the last one. It had to be. That dirty wench in the alley. It was her fault that he couldn't have any fun for a while.  
  
His lips pulled back into a feral snarl.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Haha! Take that! I told you Nina sucks! She's got no good moves!" Bikky crowed.  
  
Jane sat next to him, a frown of concentration on her face. She smashed the buttons on the controller furiously, and managed to pin Heihachi. She kicked him while he was down, KO'ing him. She looked over at Bikky, and stuck out her tongue.  
  
"You cheated! I know you did! There's no way Nina could beat Heihachi in Tekken. That's just..." He was interrupted by Jane holding out her hand. "Oh, all right, fine. A deal's a deal," he complained, and pushed the dollar bill into her hand.  
  
Just then, Ryo walked in. "Are you two gambling on video games?" he said, hand on hip.  
  
Bikky looked away, and Jane whistled innocently.  
  
Ryo shook his head. "I suppose you didn't see Rose's statement, then."  
  
Jane shook her head.  
  
"Well, he pretty much fed the media a whole bunch of crap. Said you were still in the hospital and messed up enough not to be able to talk," Dee said, strolling in. "He made it convincing, I'll give him that. But still..."  
  
"Yeah. Anyways, I don't feel like cooking tonight, so why don't we order out?"  
  
"Ooh! Pizza!" Bikky yelled.  
  
"Chinese!" Dee yelled.  
  
"Pizza!"  
  
"Chinese!"  
  
"Pizza, you pervert!"  
  
"Chinese, you little chimp!"  
  
They ended up getting pizza for Bikky and Jane, and Chinese for Ryo and Dee.  
  
After dinner, Jane and Bikky went to back to their video game, Jane rolling her eyes at Bikky's proclamations of victory, and Dee went to help Ryo clean up. Ulterior motives abounds.  
  
Dee tossed the empty cartons away as Ryo did what little dishes there were. He leaned against the wall and watched Ryo for a moment before saying, "You know, we're like some sort of dysfunctional family. We've got two screwy kids, one of us is a workaholic, and the other is a hot, sexy man. Wait, one of us is a workaholic and a hot sexy man, and the other is a hot sexy man that would like to—"  
  
Ryo clamped a hand over Dee's mouth. "I don't even want to know where you were going with that."  
  
"Aw, c'mon," Dee whined, as Ryo went back to the dishes. "All I was gonna say was that I'd like to—"  
  
Ryo turned and gave him a death glare.  
  
"—Kiss that glare right off your face," he said, and before Ryo could do anything about it, Dee proceeded to do just that.  
  
Ryo put a hand on Dee's chest, trying to push him away, but Dee only deepened the kiss, sucking Ryo's tongue into his mouth. Ryo's hand on his chest clenched into a fist, clutching his shirt.  
  
Dee pushed Ryo backwards until his back was against the refrigerator. One of his hands held Ryo's head, and the other went around his waist.  
  
Dee finally released the hold he had on Ryo's mouth. Ryo tilted his head back to get a breath, and Dee clamped down on his neck.  
  
Ryo moaned a little as Dee's mouth traveled further down, stopping at the hollow of his throat for a few seconds before he...  
  
~Oh, God,~ Ryo thought as Dee gently pushed his shirt open and started kissing and nipping his way down Ryo's chest. ~Oh, God! I-I can't get away! But-but I don't really want to...~  
  
Ryo's eyes, which had been tightly shut up until now, slid open and looked down at Dee.  
  
And then he saw Jane in doorway to the kitchen, watching the whole thing with a slightly amused look on her face.  
  
He tensed, and tried to move, but realized that Dee had him pinned against the refrigerator.  
  
Dee continued his assault on Ryo's chest, unbuttoning his shirt further.  
  
"Dee..." Ryo breathed.  
  
"Hmm?" he mumbled, his mouth moving lower.  
  
"Dee...Jane..."  
  
Dee glanced up and saw Ryo staring off into space. He finally took his lips off Ryo and looked to see what was going on.  
  
Jane looked like she was about to keel over. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter.  
  
"You-you-you crazy voyeur!" Dee shouted, standing up, and releasing Ryo.  
  
Ryo sagged to the floor.  
  
"You like what you see? Jeez, can't a man get some privacy?"  
  
Jane motioned with her hands, indicating the space they were in.  
  
"I know it's the kitchen!"  
  
She pointed behind her, towards the bedroom.  
  
"We were fine right here, and you had to ruin it! Man, every time!"  
  
Ryo finally staggered to his feet.  
  
Jane strode over and pinched their cheeks.  
  
"Ow! Hey, what the hell was that for?" Dee said  
  
Jane crossed her fingers and pointed at them.  
  
"What? Wait, let me think here. Pinched cheeks equals..."  
  
"Cute," Ryo supplied absently, trying to button his shirt.  
  
"So we got cute. Crossed finger...together? And us. Hmmm..." Dee broke out laughing. "Ryo, she thinks we're cute together! Aww!"  
  
Jane nodded vehemently.  
  
Ryo still looked dazed. "I-I don't like charades anymore."  
  
Dee started laughing again, and Jane ruffled Ryo's hair.  
  
DarkHorse says: Ryo's last line cracks me up for some reason. Things will really heat up next chapter, I promise! 


	5. Chapter 5

Ryo jerked awake to a loud crash. He glanced over at his alarm clock and saw that it was two thirty in the morning. He lay there for a minute, wondering where the crash came from.

He was just about to fall asleep again when a thud reached his ears, followed by a sniffling sound. Concerned, he got up to investigate.

Listening to the sniffling, he realized that it was coming from Bikky's room, which was now Jane's for the time being. Ryo's eyes widened in the darkness as he sprinted down the hall and threw open the bedroom door.

He flipped the light switch and was momentarily blinded by the sudden brightness, but as his eyes adjusted, he could tell that there was no one in the bed. The sheets were tangled into a knot at the foot of the bed and the lamp on the nightstand had been knocked over.

Ryo looked around, trying to find the source of what he now knew was sobbing. He saw Jane, backed into a corner of the room, her eyes wide with terror and shaking uncontrollably. Tears ran down her cheeks as her sobs grew louder.

"Jane!" Ryo called, but the woman didn't so much as twitch. He moved closer, but stopped when she suddenly went stock still and her frightened eyes slid towards him. If possible, Jane tried to back further into the corner.

"Jane, it's okay, it's me, Ryo. I'm not going to hurt you. Calm down, please. It's okay, you're okay, I'm here."

As he spoke, Ryo watched Jane's eyes close tightly. Her jaw clenched and she clamped her hands over her ears.

"Jane, please…"

She was stiff as a board, as if moving or seeing or hearing anything would doom her to whatever hell she thought she was at the edge of.

"Jane," Ryo tried again, but silenced himself as her sobs reached a level of piteousness that was hard for Ryo to fathom.

He did the only thing he felt he could do.

He called Dee.

In the ten minutes between his call and Dee's arrival, Jane had not left the corner. Her sobs quieted a little, but she still shook like a proverbial leaf.

"What happened?" Dee asked as he walked in.

Ryo rubbed his eyes tiredly. "About two thirty, I heard a crash. I came to investigate, and I found her like that. I tried to snap her out of it, but she got worse. That's when I called you. She's a little better now, but something really screwed her up."

"Nightmare, maybe?"

"Probably. Lord knows what she's been through. What should we do?"

Dee looked thoughtfully at the cowering figure in the corner. "Wait it out."

"I was afraid of that."

* * *

_Darkness. White noise. Choking smoke. A hand, reaching. She screamed._

* * *

Dee and Ryo both flinched out of a light doze at a scream from Jane. Years of disuse had made her voice hoarse, but the scream was piercing nonetheless.

"Jane!"

* * *

_A voice. Who was Jane? There was someone else in this hell? She searched. No one. Alone, always alone. _

"_Burn it down."_

_Him. His voice slid over her mind like oil, dark and malevolent. Always him in this hell. Always alone with him. Always…always…always…_

* * *

The men watched, in fascinated horror, as Jane's mouth moved and whispered "always".

"This is creepy. We need to do something," Dee said.

"Cold water?" Ryo asked, only half joking. He was tired, and a little scared.

Dee looked at him, incredulous. "That's something I would say." He looked back to Jane and slowly got up and moved into what he hoped was her line of sight.

"Jane, come back."

* * *

_Come back? To where? Oh, God, he was moving. Coming for her, again. Always coming for her. _

_She coughed; the hell fire below was burning, sending its foul smoke into her lungs. Run._

* * *

"Dee, stop!" Ryo called as Jane tensed and began to push herself up off the floor.

"Shit," Dee said. "Jane, listen. Listen to me. It's Dee; I'm your friend, remember? Whatever you see isn't real. Just listen to my voice, Jane. I'm not going to hurt you. Neither is Ryo. Listen, Jane. Hear my voice, focus on that. Jane, you have to listen to me-"

He was abruptly cut off by the raspy-yet-keening wail that Jane released.

"Ryo!" he shouted, "Knock her out or something!"

Ryo looked around, almost wanting to cry himself after hearing Jane.

* * *

_Closer, closer, closer. Always closer. The hand reached again. Pain, God, he was killing her. His hand tightened around her neck. She cried out in abject fear, but it was too late._

_More pain. No breath. Breathe, breathe, breathe._

"_Burn it down."_

_Heat, suffocating heat. Paralyzing smoke. More heat, more pain._

_A light. Heaven? Broken, bloody fingers scrabbling against the splintering, burning wood._

_All broken. Shattered soul._

_Falling…falling…_

"_Someone kill me."_

_Darkness._

* * *

Ryo's mouth opened into a shocked "o". "Did she just…?"

Dee ran and caught the woman as she pitched forward, finally slipping into unconsciousness. Settling her gently on the bed, he looked up at Ryo's frightened face. "Yeah."

Ryo sat on his bed, a mug of tea in his hands. Dee had persuaded him to call in for his shift tomorrow, but Dee was the one doing the calling. Ryo didn't think he could do much of anything right now. Even holding the mug was a challenge. His mind kept wandering, replaying Jane's breakdown. She was asleep or unconscious, but they had left the door open and the bedroom light on.

The bed sagged as Dee sat down. "I'm staying here until I know everything's gonna be okay," he said, his tone brooking no argument.

"All right."

Dee looked at Ryo searchingly for a moment. "You wanna talk? I doubt either one of us are gonna be able to sleep."

Ryo set his mug on the nightstand and looked at his hands. "Why? I couldn't help her. I just watched as she crumbled. Why…?"

Dee threw an arm across Ryo's shoulders. "Hey. You did what you could. So did I. She's a strong woman; she'll make it."

"She wants to die, Dee," Ryo whispered, on the verge of tears.

"Please don't cry, Ryo. You know I can't handle that," Dee begged, allowing some playfulness to creep into his voice. "Seriously, though, I don't think that's what she meant."

Ryo sniffed. "What did she mean then?"

Dee frowned thoughtfully. "Whatever she thought she was seeing, whatever nightmare she was living through, she wanted it to end. Maybe she thought death was her only escape, but that was from the dream world. You know as well as I do that Jane wants to stay alive, or she wouldn't have struggled to get to the precinct the first night we met."

Ryo blinked at Dee. "I think that may have been the most coherent set of sentences I've ever heard you put together."

"Hey, that's not fair! I'll have you know that I'm pretty suave when I want to be."

"Which is never."

"In my head. When I think of you."

Ryo blushed furiously and ducked his head.

"You're cute when you blush. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"Dee…" Ryo breathed.

"Don't worry, I'm not planning anything 'frisky'. Let's just try to get some rest, okay?" Dee said, and laid them both down on the bed.

"Dee…?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you," Ryo said, and kissed Dee quickly on the lips.

"Anything for you, cutie."

* * *

DarkHorse says: holy shit. You see what happens when I wait two years to update a fic? You get this muthafuckin' piece of work. Anyone who can guess what happened to Jane in her dream gets my respect. For some reason, watching "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" five times in five days inspired me to write FAKE fanfiction. Great movie to get the creative juices flowing, especially if the juice tastes like angst.

I won't make any guarantees, but keep on the look out for more updates. And faster than a chapter every two years.


	6. Chapter 6

Sunlight streamed through the windows over the bed. She awoke to the warmth on her face. Sitting up in bed slowly, Jane brought a hand to her throat, which was on fire. Stuff like that only happened when she tried to speak again, but she didn't remember doing any such thing.

Then it all came back. The nightmare, Dee and Ryo desperately trying to calm her, and then, finally, blessed darkness. Her head dropped to her chest in defeat. It had been so long since she dreamt of _him_ that she had begun to feel complacent. Jane looked at the clock on the nightstand, which read 12:30 in the afternoon. She swung herself out of bed, intent on righting the wrong she had done Dee and Ryo.

* * *

Ryo shifted, snuggling further into the warmth of the bed. He was in a state of half awareness, and slowly noticed that the bed was not as soft as he remembered it. A light snore above him drew his attention upwards.

Bolting backwards and almost throwing himself off the bed, Ryo, in shocked horror, realized that he had been burrowing into Dee. Or rather, Dee's lap.

Dee was propped up by pillows against the wall, head hanging to one side with his black hair falling into his face. Ryo thought he looked sort of cute that way.

Smacking himself lightly on the cheek, Ryo shook Dee awake.

Dee snorted. "Wha'?"

"Come on Dee, get up. I want to check on Jane."

Dee grumbled a little bit, but dragged himself out of bed. "What's that smell?"

"What sme—oh! Bacon?"

The two men looked at each other for a moment before heading to the open bedroom door. Reaching it at the same time, they struggled against each other comically before Ryo finally pushed past and made his way to the kitchen.

Jane had made breakfast and was standing in front of the stove with a spatula in her hand. Two plates with bacon, eggs, and sausage were already on the table. There was a pile of toast in the center, along with a carton of milk, some orange juice, and coffee. Jane turned, and upon seeing Dee and Ryo staring at her, she smiled brightly. The frying pan she held contained hash browns, which she split between the two plates.

"Jane, what the hell?" Dee asked, but sat down and inhaled a piece of bacon in seconds.

Ryo followed Dee to the table, watching Jane warily. "Jane, we need to talk," he said, and winced at his word choice.

The smile left Jane's face and she nodded solemnly. She motioned to the table, indicating they should eat first.

"What about you?" Ryo asked.

She shook her head and pointed to a box of cereal behind her.

"You didn't have to do this for us, Jane," Dee said around a mouthful of egg.

Jane nodded vehemently.

* * *

After breakfast was eaten and the dishes cleared away, the three of them sat in the living room, Dee and Ryo on the couch and Jane in a chair across from them. It was too much like an interrogation for Ryo's liking, but they had to sit somewhere. Jane had a pencil and a pad of paper with her, which surprised both men, considering she had shown no interest in that form of communication except for the incident with Rose.

"Where to begin?" Dee asked.

Jane's mouth quirked.

"I know, the beginning, right?" Dee said and rolled his eyes. "Smart ass."

"You spoke last night, Jane," Ryo said softly. "'Someone kill me' is what we heard. Is that true? Do you want to die?"

Jane hung her head, but shook it. She made a vague motion behind her.

"Back? Before you came to us, or before that even?"

She held up two fingers and pointed to the second one.

"Before that. Where did you come from?" Ryo asked.

"Shouldn't we stick to 'yes' or 'no' questions?" Dee said.

"I want her to write. She's already shown she can."

"Not very well. You saw how sloppy that was."

Jane was waving to get their attention. When they looked at her, she was holding up the pad of paper. It said "Kalleeforneeya" in big blocky script, like a child's handwriting.

"You're from California? How the hell did you make it out here without being able to talk?" Dee asked incredulously.

Jane smiled a little and held up her thumb.

"You hitch hiked. From California. To New York. Impressive. Were the people helpful?" Dee spoke again.

Jane tilted her hand back and forth.

"Were you hurt?" Ryo asked quietly. There was no way she made it here without someone trying to assault her.

She nodded, but upon seeing the horrified look on Ryo's face, she quickly scribbled "no sex" on the paper.

"When did you leave California?" Ryo asked.

She shrugged.

"How old were you when you left?"

Jane held up ten fingers, then eight.

"Eighteen. How old are you now?" Dee asked.

Jane frowned, and then flashed ten, ten, and six.

"Can you tell us your real name? We might be able to contact your family so you can go home," Ryo said. Finally some progress. But his hopes quickly shattered when he saw Jane shudder in complete fear. She shrank back into the chair.

Dee got up and went to her. He placed a hand lightly on her knee. "What happened to you?"

Her eyes squeezed tight. Dee thought he'd lost her when her eyes snapped back open and she began writing furiously on the paper.

_I wuz 8. momma owd sum peepel. She had a problum with the wit powder. She gav me to them az pament. I livd with a man hoo yoosd me az a slav. I kookd, kleend, and plezerd him. No wun kayrd. I wuzint allowd to speek or mak noyz. Wen I becaym 18, he didint want me ennymor. The polees wer after him to. He yoosd me wun last tim and then lit the hous on fiyer. I jumpt out the therd floor windo and hit mi hed. I remember nuthin till waking up in the hospittle. Wen I wuz well, I left. No familee or frendz. No ejucashun. No hop till I met yoo. Thank yoo._

Dee and Ryo read over the note three times before looking back at Jane. Ryo was openly crying and Dee looked like he was ready to kill someone.

"You don't know your real name, do you?" Dee asked, his voice low with emotion.

Jane was silent, of course, but both men watched her mouth open and the muscles in her throat quiver.

"I…ca…can't…rem…remem…ber…" she forced out in a small voice.

* * *

DarkHorse: you guys have no idea how hard it is the purposely misspell words. Especially since MSWord doesn't allow it. I wanted to mention this last time I updated, but I forgot. A while ago, I was watching an "ER" rerun. This particular episode involved a rape victim that was unable to speak. The details were different than what I've got here (obviously), but I just thought it was weird to see my basic idea on TV. This story was started about a year before the episode aired. Creepy. 


	7. Chapter 7

Bikky didn't bother holding the door for Cal, who was right behind him as they entered the store.

"Some gentleman," Cal muttered. "Why are we here, anyway?" she asked, trying to keep up. The boy was walking hurriedly past all the things that Cal thought he was after. New skates, the CD department, video games… "Yo, earth to Bikky, what are we doing?"

Bikky made a sharp right and stopped, causing Cal to almost crash into him. "What is wrong with you? You're acting really weird. And these are books. You don't read!"

Bikky made a face. "It's not for me. You know how I told you that Jane had a nightmare? Well, Ryo finally told me what happened after. She wrote them a note telling them where she was from an' why she's all messed up. Ryo showed me the note, and, well, let's just say she really needs help in the spelling department, y'know?"

Cal frowned. "You shouldn't make fun of her, Bikky. She's been through a lot."

Bikky put his hands up defensively. "I'm not makin' fun, swear. I wanna help her. She's cool. She plays video games with me. The other day, she helped organize my CDs. She makes a mean omelet too. So I was thinkin' I could get her a book, y'know, to help her learn."

"Aw, that's really sweet, Bikky. What kind of book were you thinkin' of?"

"I dunno. I mean, she hasn't had any schoolin' or anythin', so I don't know what she can read. I don't know what she likes either."

"Hmm."

"Yeah."

The two split up and wandered the book aisles several times before meeting up again in the middle. Cal was empty handed, but Bikky had a rather thick book in his arms.

"Bikky, that's a dictionary. She's not going to want to read a dictionary."

"Maybe she does. She doesn't know anything, so why not a dictionary? I can help her read it, if she wants. I bet Ryo and Dee wouldn't think of it. They're just getting her nes-necessi—stuff she needs, not anything cool."

"Can I help too? I think it would be fun to teach her things. Like how to do hair and makeup, and paint nails. I bet she's never done anything 'girly'. Ooh, Bikky, this is gonna be so fun!"

_(there would be a line break here if got their shit together)_

Bikky and Cal arrived at Ryo's apartment about an hour later.

"Hey, anyone home? Ryo? Jane?" Bikky called. He sniffed. "Ooh, Jane's cookin' somethin'. C'mon, let's check out the kitchen."

Jane was indeed cooking. She had her long black hair pulled into a ponytail, though little wisps were escaping and she kept blowing them back, annoyed. She was standing near the stove with a pair of oven mitts on when the two kids walked in.

"Smells really good, Jane. You remember Cal, right?" Bikky asked.

Jane looked up, nodded, and waved at Cal.

Cal waved back and seated herself at the table. Bikky sat next to her.

"So where's Ryo? I thought he was going to be home tonight."

"…Late." Jane said.

"Man, he should just set up a cot at the precinct," Bikky pouted.

"Aw, don't be so hard on him. You know him and Dee are trying to catch the guy that hurt Jane and all those other women. Besides, Dee will make sure he takes care of himself."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Bikky muttered. "What're you makin' anyways, Jane? And is there enough for Cal?"

Jane licked her lips and frowned, as if trying to remember how to say the words. "…Pot pies. Cal…stay?"

"Could I? Thanks! I'm not going to be eating Ryo's dinner though, am I?"

Jane waved a hand. "…No worry." The timer on the stove went off just then and Jane pulled three chicken pot pies from the oven.

They ate in relative silence, with Bikky complimenting Jane on her cooking after every fifth bite.

When the dishes were cleared away (Cal offered to help Jane while Bikky watched TV), the three of them sat in the living room.

Cal and Bikky looked at each other, and Bikky nervously gave Jane the book. "It's from me and Cal. We thought you might want to…um…Jane?"

With tears streaming down her face, Jane slid from her chair and hugged both of them tightly, whispering "thank you, thank you, thank you" over and over.

_(there would be a line break here if got their shit together)_

Ryo rubbed his eyes tiredly, and jumped a little when Dee came up behind him.

"You all right?" Dee asked, a cigarette hanging off his lip.

Ryo sighed. "Yeah. I'm just…tired, I guess. I want this to be over. I thought the guy might stop since he knew we had a witness, but…" he trailed off, gesturing emptily to the body in the alley.

It seemed that their serial rapist had struck again, and this time he was taking no chances at leaving a witness. The woman had been found just before their shift ended, and, once hearing that it was probably their guy, Ryo and Dee put in some overtime to check it out. The woman was in her mid twenties to early thirties, petite, and most likely just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had been raped and brutally beaten to death sometime within the last forty eight hours.

The medical examiner's team had finished with the scene and was taking the body to the morgue when the Chief showed up.

"Another vic, huh? Are you two making any progress with the Jane Doe?"

Ryo sighed. "She's started to talk a little, but I can tell that it's painful. I wanted to hold off on bringing her to the sketch artist until she was more comfortable, but I don't think it can wait much longer."

The Chief nodded. "Bring her down to the station. I'll have the artist come in late so we can sneak her in without too many people seeing her. How about ten pm on Wednesday? That'll give you a full day to work with her. I'll tell Rose that you're not coming in tomorrow. Is that okay with you two?"

"That's fine, Chief, and thanks," Ryo said.

Dee flicked his cigarette away as the Chief sauntered off. "C'mon. Let's go," he said and took Ryo's elbow to steer him towards the car. They got in and drove off.

After a few minutes of silence, Dee said, "Hey, talk to me, Ryo. Something's botherin' you."

Greeted by more silence, Dee huffed impatiently. "Don't give me the silent treatment. What's goin' on?"

Glancing at his still silent partner, Dee's mouth turned from an annoyed frown to a surprised smile.

Ryo was sound asleep.

_(there would be a line break here if got their shit together)_

"What's a…abba-cuss?"

Bikky leaned over to look. "Oh. It's somethin' that the Chinese used for math. No one uses 'em anymore, so you don't have to worry 'bout it."

"Jane, remember how I told you about 'vowels'?" Jane nodded. "Well, when a word starts with one, you say 'an' if there's only one, and 'are' if there's more than one. Okay?" Cal explained gently.

"_An_ abba-cuss?"

Cal smiled. "Right."

Bikky yawned suddenly. The three of them were sprawled out on the floor in the living room, and had been flipping through Jane's new dictionary for the past two hours.

"All this laying around is makin' me sleepy. Can we do somethin'?"

Cal looked mischievous. "I brought my bag of goodies. I don't think you'd like it though, Bikky."

"Goodies?" Jane asked as Cal jumped up to grab it from the kitchen.

"Yeah. It's full of fun stuff."

Bikky groaned. "It's not the 'girly' stuff you were talking about before, is it?"

Cal dumped the bag out. Hair scrunchies, rubber bands, barrettes, clips, nail polish, makeup, lotions, and sprays littered the floor.

Jane's eyes opened wide. "Lemme do your hair, Jane! Please? It'll be fun, I promise!"

"_You'll have fun, I promise. She's good at what she does. Doesn't talk or anything. You tell her to something, she'll do it. I promise._

"Jane? You okay?" Cal asked, holding a brush in one hand and looking concernedly into Jane's eyes.

Jane shook her head like a dog and smiled. "Fine. You…do my hair?"

"Yeah. I'll make it pretty."


	8. Chapter 8

Dee walked through the door like he owned the place. "Ryo! Jane! Are you two ready yet?"

Ryo greeted him in the entryway. "She just got in the shower. You're a bit early."

"Yeah, well I figured it might to both of us to get her ready for this. We don't know what visiting the sketch artist is gonna drag up."

Ryo nodded in agreement. "While we're waiting, have a seat. Can I get you anything?"

Dee's face lit up in a lecherous grin. Ryo rolled his eyes and turned to walk into the kitchen, but was promptly blindsided by Dee who pushed him up against the wall, much like their earlier position by the refrigerator.

"Why don't we finish what we started, hm…?"

Ryo pushed against him. "Dee, now is not the time for this."

Dee strengthened his grip. "How long before Jane gets out?"

"Maybe fifteen or twenty min-ahh!"

Dee had moved in and began nipping and kissing Ryo's neck. Ryo was wearing a sweater today, which didn't allow for easy access. Dee ran one hand under and up while keeping the other firmly on Ryo's hip, holding him in place.

Ryo continued to struggle, albeit a bit weakly since Dee's hand was doing something ridiculous with his chest. His breath came in sharp pants and he could feel his lower body slowly starting to respond to Dee's ministrations. He groaned a little and tried to tilt his head away from Dee's mouth, but only succeeded in bringing his ear within range. Dee's warm breath danced over the cartilage while he nibbled a little at the earlobe. He still had one hand roaming around Ryo's chest, gradually going for his abs. Dee's other hand had long since lost the strength to hold Ryo still, so he settled it loosely on the small of Ryo's back.

It seemed like hours had gone by when Dee felt Ryo's arms begin to move against him, but not in an effort to get away. One of Ryo's hands came up suddenly and grabbed the back of Dee's head and forced their lips together. Dee gasped a little in surprise, involuntarily sucking Ryo's tongue into his mouth.

That jarred Ryo to his senses and he pulled back. Both were panting and flushed, though Ryo a little more than Dee.

"I shouldn't have done that."

"Don't go gettin' all guilty on me. I wish you'd react like that more often. Or all the time. In fact, never stop."

"Dee…this can't…_I_ can't…"

"What's wrong with 'this'?"

"I _can't_…"

"You can. Once you admit that, we can move on."

Ryo met Dee's eyes and wished he hadn't. The other man was glaring at him angrily.

It was at that somewhat awkward moment that Jane appeared. She looked from to the other several times before speaking. "Okay?"

Ryo took that opportunity to break eye contact. He smiled at Jane. "Yeah. We're okay."

She looked unconvinced. "Not okay. Go in room. Talk."

Ryo looked at Jane, surprised that she caught on to the tension so fast. "It's all right, Jane. We have to go to the sketch artist."

"No. Time for you and Dee. I wait." Jane walked away from them and sat on the couch in the living room with her arms crossed.

Ryo sighed and glanced to Dee, hoping the other man would back him up. Dee was mimicking Jane's posture.

"Dee, we don't have time for this. The chief pulled the artist in specifically for us. He'll be mad if we don't show up with Jane."

"Stop using her as an excuse. I'll play this game for now, Ryo, but you need to straighten your feelings out soon or you'll end up without a partner. So, let's go to the artist so we can catch this asshole." Dee turned on his heel and left the apartment.

Jane got and followed him, but not before giving Ryo a sad look.

Ryo sighed again, dejectedly.

* * *

"Okay, let's start with the eyes. What shape were they?" the sketch artist asked. He was seated behind a large easel with a pencil at the ready. He had also spread out a few templates for Jane to work off. Each template had drawings of several different types and sizes of eyes.

"Umm…like these, but more…falling down…?" she said and frowned, as if knowing she wasn't saying the right thing. The artist looked at Dee and Ryo for clarification.

"Droopy?" Dee supplied.

Jane smiled. "Yes. Droopy."

The artist scribbled on the paper covering the easel. "What color were they?"

"I not see color. Too dark. Maybe like Ryo's."

"That would make sense. Blue or green probably would've been obvious," Ryo said.

"And the nose?"

"Big and crooked."

"Fleshy big or bony big?"

"What's fleshy?" this time Jane looked at Ryo and Dee for help, and once again Dee gave the answer.

"Was it fat like the artist's?"

Jane smiled at the artist's indignant shout of "Hey!" and said, "Yes, like drawing man's."

"Mouth?"

"Small. Like a line."

The artist stopped questioning her for a moment to finish off the face. "Good. That was the hard stuff. What can you tell me about his hair?"

"Hair everywhere. On face and nose. Big hair on head. Maybe dark color."

"Was he white or black?" he asked while scribbling the hair in furiously.

"Umm, white, but not…not…Ryo white. Maybe Dee white. Or me white."

The artist took a few more minutes filling in the minor details and finishing off the shading before turning the completed product towards Jane.

She recoiled slightly in shock. "Him."

* * *

Dee drove back to Ryo's apartment, and waited for the two to get out. Normally he would've been all over a chance to get Ryo alone in the apartment, especially since Bikky was off at Cal's for the night. Dee remained in the car with his seatbelt on.

Ryo was about to ask him up, but caught Dee's still slightly angry glare that told him Dee was not going to be bought off that easily.

"I'll come by tomorrow so we can go over the game plan since we've got the sketch. G'night Jane. You did good tonight," Dee said and drove off.

Ryo sighed and led Jane back to the apartment. He tossed his keys on the kitchen table and sighed again. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

Jane nodded, which didn't make Ryo feel any better. He dropped fatalistically onto the couch with an arm draped over his eyes. Jane was rummaging around in the kitchen for a few minutes before she returned and sat next to him with a mug of tea in each hand.

"Thanks," Ryo said and wrapped his hands around the mug. He pulled his feet up onto the couch and rested his chin on his knees. "What am I going to do about this…?"

"You love Dee."

Ryo jerked a little in shock and looked at the woman next to him. "Love? I don't know about that."

"Love Dee."

Ryo looked at her thoughtfully. "Are you asking or telling?"

"Telling."

"What do you know about love?" Ryo winced; that came out harsher than he meant it to. Jane didn't seem to take offense, however, and only smiled at him and reached next to the couch and produced a large dictionary. She flipped through it for a moment before settling on a page and showing it to Ryo. The definition of love.

"It's not quite that easy, Jane."

"It is. You love him, he love you. You need to be with him. Makes you happy. Makes him happy. Dee…no fun when you not happy. Dee not happy when you not happy. Both sad. Like now."

Jane had a point. They were both pretty upset. If only… "How?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

Jane had one for him, though. "After you work, bring him home. I take Bikky out. I bring Cal, too. You alone here. You call when Dee goes." She stopped and a wicked little grin appeared on her face. "If he goes."

Ryo looked scandalized.

Jane giggled.

DarkHorse says: Thank you Shakespeare 452 and 530 for giving me three hours each Wednesday and Thursday to get some badly needed writing done. Never mind the badly needed note taking not getting done. Also, I think I smell a lemon or at least a lime next chapter. Although it might be kinda awkward if I get caught writing homo porn in a Shakespeare class.


	9. Chapter 9

Ryo, against his better judgment, followed Jane's advice and invited Dee over for a chat. That's what he kept telling himself, anyway. Ryo hadn't stopped thinking about what he was going to say to Dee. He didn't know himself well enough to explain himself to Dee.

"You're gonna wear a hole in the carpet if you don't stop pacing, Ryo," Cal chided. The younger girl was in the kitchen behind Jane, who was seated in one of the chairs. She was taking Bikky and Cal out for dinner and a movie to give Dee and Ryo some privacy. Both youngsters knew what was going on, and while Cal was all for it, Bikky wanted to stay to make sure Dee "kept his pervy mitts offa Ryo."

Jane made a face as Cal combed through a particular tough knot in her hair. "What say to him?" she asked.

Ryo stopped pacing and looked at her. "I'm not sure…"

"How about 'stop drooling on me'?" Bikky piped up from the living room.

Cal giggled, but said, "Now now, Bikky, you know how hard this is for Ryo."

Ryo sighed. "Why do I feel like everyone knows what's going on but me?"

"I feel the same way," said a voice from the door.

"Dee!" Ryo exclaimed, surprised to see him there.

"You really need to lock this door on a regular basis," Dee said.

"Yeah, any loser could just walk in," Bikky commented.

"You little-"

"Ready, Bikky?" Jane asked, pulling on her coat. Cal was finished with her hair and was already putting her shoes on.

"Yeah, let's go. Ryo's a big boy and can take care of himself," Cal said.

"I don't like the look in this pervert's eye. I'm gonna stay here and make sure he doesn't try anything weird."

"What look? I can't even show up when I'm invited without you heckling me!"

"Come on," Jane said, and grabbed Bikky's ear and pulled him out.

"Ow! Shit that hurts!"

"Language Bikky!" Ryo called automatically as the door closed behind the three.

* * *

"That movie sucked," Bikky complained as they left the theater.

"Yeah, it wasn't even scary. It was actually kinda funny," Cal agreed. "What'd you think, Jane?"

Jane smiled. "I know scary. That not scary."

Bikky yawned. "Man, I'm beat. D'you think it would be okay if Cal stayed over tonight, Jane?" Bikky asked, deferring to her.

"Fine with me. Call Ryo?"

Bikky made a happy noise and dug through his pockets before finally producing the phone. He was about to dial, but made a face and thought the better of it. "Um, you'd better call, Jane. I don't wanna interrupt anything…weird."

Cal giggled. "Hey before that, wanna go get some ice cream? Jojo's place is right up the street. I think they're still open now. C'mon," she said, and began dragging the other two along without waiting for an answer.

"Cal. Dark. Should go home," Jane said nervously, but didn't fight.

"It'll be fun. I bet you've never had ice cream before."

"Have. Not impressed."

Cal punched her playfully in the arm. "You've never had ice cream at Jojo's. They've got the best waffle cones."

"Yeah they do. Aw man, now you've got me craving ice cream," Bikky whined. "What am I, a girl?"

Cal stuck her tongue out at the boy. "C'mon, Jane."

Jane sighed and let herself be pulled along.

As they walked, Jane started getting more and more uneasy. She knew this area for some reason, and it was making her nervous. She looked down every alley they passed, and made sure to stay in lit areas as much as possible.

Lost in her own world, Jane almost kept walking when the other two stopped, but was brought back to her senses with Cal's cry of "Aw, they're closed!"

"You owe me a waffle cone, Cal. I was totally expecting to go home tonight with an ice cream headache. I had myself all psyched and prepared. What a let down. Now what? You wanna call Ryo, Jane? Jane?" he asked again because the older woman was staring off into space.

"We go home. Now." It was not a question.

"Are you all right?" Cal asked. Jane was rigid, and her breaths came quick and shallow. "Bikky, I think you should call Ryo. Something's wrong with Jane."

Bikky nodded, but as he fished the phone out of his pocket again, they were all startled by a man's voice.

"Nothin's wrong with her, little girl. In fact, she looks good enough to eat."

The three of them backed up as a man stepped out of the shadows next to the building. He circled like a wolf and had them backed into a corner between the ice cream shop, another building, and an apartment complex. Bikky belatedly realized that there was no way to get past him unless they went through him. He didn't think that was going to happen, especially since seeing the look in Jane's eyes.

The man was talking again. "Imagine stumbling upon you here, pretty. All I had to do was wait and I knew you'd come back to me. So, pretty, what kind of fun should we have tonight?"

"Back off, creep. You really wanna do this so close to the precinct?" Bikky asked, his voice only slightly shaking.

"Doesn't matter," the man hissed. "You'll all be dead before they get here. If they even get here." With that, he charged forward and knocked Bikky backwards into a wall. The phone flew from his grasp and slid a few feet away where Cal made a dash for it, but she was dealt with in much the same way. The girl made to scream, but the man silenced her with a hand clamped over her mouth.

"If either one of you makes a sound, and I kill this one now," he said, and waved in the direction of Jane, who had her back against the wall.

Cal whimpered in response.

The man's face split into a feral grin before releasing Cal and facing Jane. A knife flashed in his hand as he stalked toward the young woman. "Well, pretty, I don't normally do the same thing twice, but I think I can make an exception in your case. And you even brought a friend, though she's a little young for my tastes," he said, with a glance back at Cal, who shuddered.

He trailed a finger along Jane's jaw, but the woman didn't even flinch. She just kept staring. He smiled again, and dropped his hand to his pants.

Forgetting the man's order for silence, Cal could take no more and shouted "Stop!"

He turned toward her, an angry scowl on his face.

Bikky finally saw his chance and leapt onto the man's back. "Cal, run!"

"But what about-"

"Fucking brat!"

"Just go! Hurry!"

Cal ran.

* * *

"So, what's this all about?"

"You're the one who told me to sort out my feelings."

"Yeah, and?"

Ryo sighed. "I don't know."

"You don't know? What am I doing here, then?"

"It's not that easy, Dee! I'm trying! I don't know myself, so how can I tell you?" Ryo exclaimed, his frustration evident.

It was Dee's turn to sigh. "I know. I don't want to push you, but stop stringing me along. I've already told you Lord knows how many times that I love you. All of New York knows I love you, you know I love you, hell, even Jane knows I love you. How many times do I have to say it before you do something about it, one way or another?"

"I…help me."

Dee started in surprise. "Help you? What?"

Ryo, who had been sitting on the chair opposite to where Dee was sitting on the couch, slid off and took a new seat next to him. "I know I feel something. I want to…do something about what I feel, but…I'm scared."

Dee's eyebrows shot skyward at that admission, but then his expression softened. "You know I've got enough confidence for two, maybe three, people."

"One step at a time please," Ryo deadpanned.

Dee looked like he had been hit with a blunt object before bursting out laughing. "Nice!" He was quiet for a moment and stared at Ryo appraisingly before asking, "So, how far are you willing to go?"

* * *

The man wrestled Bikky off his back and slammed the boy into the wall. "You are going to pay for that, punk," he growled.

Bikky looked at Jane, who was still frozen where the man left her. She was shaking violently and staring into nothing with dead eyes. "Jane…"

"Oh I'll deal with her soon enough. But first I'm going to get rid of you."

"Jane…" Bikky whispered and screwed his eyes shut.

"She's not going to help you, kid. She's too used and worthless to be of any help to anyone. I'll put her out of her misery after I'm done with her. Hell, if she does good job, I might even--" he was cut off by the sound of approaching sirens.

Bikky's bravado came back full force. "Fun's over, huh?" he sneered.

The man bared his teeth like an animal and ground out, "Not yet, punk."

The next few seconds seemed to take an eternity to Bikky. He watched, horrified, as the man pulled the knife in preparation for a thrust. _Shit, forgot about that_ he thought as the blade came forward. He closed his eyes in anticipation, but suddenly found himself sprawled face first on the pavement and heard a pained yelp come from above him. He rolled and looked up to see the knife buried hilt deep in Jane's side. She wrenched it loose before the man could react and lunged, jamming the knife into his torso. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

Jane slid to the ground as well and Bikky scrambled over to her. Her breathing was labored and Bikky could hear a strange whistling sound with each breath. Jane went into a coughing fit and spat blood when it was over. A thin trickle of blood leaked out of the corner of her mouth.

* * *

Ryo blushed and ducked his head.

Dee grinned and lifted Ryo's chin. "I won't do anything you don't want me to do." With that, Dee pressed their lips together. It was gentle, but Ryo sense that Dee was hoping for a little more than a chaste kiss. Gathering his courage (he wished he'd opted for the liquid form) Ryo opened his mouth slightly and slid his tongue lightly against Dee's lips.

Dee responded almost instantly; his tongue began fighting for dominance.

Ryo had no idea what to do with his hands, but he did know that he didn't want to seem like a dead fish with them clenched at his side. He decided to give Dee a taste of his own medicine and slowly ran his hands under Dee's shirt. Dee moaned a little and pushed Ryo back so he was leaning on the arm of the couch. He broke their kiss and began unbuttoning Ryo's shirt, nipping and kissing as he went.

Ryo tensed slightly in apprehension as Dee licked at one of his nipples, but gave in to just _feeling_.

Deciding that Ryo's chest had received enough attention, Dee made his way down Ryo's abdomen. The other man had scooted back far enough to cause his pants to ride dangerously low on his hips. Dee's hands returned to Ryo's chest, but his mouth roamed lower.

Ryo had his fingers tangled in Dee's hair. He _felt_ that he wanted to do something…

He brought one of his knees slowly between Dee's legs and ground it a little into his groin.

Dee almost inhaled his own tongue in surprised pleasure, but recovered quickly and went back to kissing Ryo's mouth feverishly. He let his hands trail down Ryo's sides and come to rest at his waistband.

The phone rang.

"Fuck 'em," Dee hissed between nips at Ryo's neck.

It continued to ring and the two men continued to ignore it before it finally stopped.

Ryo's hands were at the small of Dee's back and threatening to move lower when the phone rang again. He flung an arm back and knocked the phone off the end table.

"If you answer that…"

"Mmm…I just wanna…check…it's the precinct."

"Seriously. Fuck 'em."

The phone kept ringing. Dee growled in frustration and grabbed it. "This had better be real fuckin' impor—Cal? Whoa, slow down. What?"

Ryo shoved them both into a sitting position.

"Shit. Are they okay?"

Ryo's eyes went wide in alarm. He leapt from the couch, buttoning his shirt as he went, and grabbed his coat and keys. He tossed Dee's to him as well, who was struggling to straighten himself up while still talking to Cal.

"It's okay, honey. Ryo and I are on our way." He hung up, took a deep breath, and looked at Ryo. "They were attacked."

DarkHorse says: Take that. Lime delivered. Finally. Too bad it was marred by the villain. That asshole.


	10. Chapter 10

Bikky knelt next to Jane, who was clutching her side, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Are you okay? Oh my God, I can't believe—you saved my life, Jane! I'd be dead for sure, and—oh, I hope Cal's okay. The cops are coming, so she must've—shit, I hope that guy doesn't wake up before they get here, but he hasn't moved since—hey, you don't think he's dead, do you? Oh man, that would suck—"

He was silenced by Jane's other hand over his mouth. She smiled weakly when he ducked his head in embarrassment. They sat there for a few minutes before the first police car, followed by an ambulance, skid to a halt in front of the alley.

The officers checked on Bikky and Jane while the paramedics dealt with their attacker.

"What happened?" asked one of the officers.

"We were just walking along when that guy jumped out and tried to kill us. My friend got away and called you guys here, but then he tried to stab me and my other friend pushed me out of the way, but she ended up getting stabbed, but then she stabbed him back and he hasn't moved since and he's the guy that's been killing and raping all those women and she's the only witness so he must've—" Jane's hand clamped over his mouth again.

The officer smiled reassuringly. "Okay, kid, calm down," he said, and then spoke into his radio. "Yeah, I'm gonna need another bus here ASAP."

The two paramedics had the man on a stretcher and were loading him into the ambulance as Bikky craned his head to get a better look. "Is he dead?"

"Don't worry about that. Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No. Just a few cuts and bruises. How are you doing, Jane?"

"I'm…fine. Hurts to…breathe. Happy you…okay," she said raggedly.

The second ambulance arrived then, and after being briefed by the officer, the paramedics loaded both of them into the truck and sped off for the nearest hospital.

* * *

"You're in no condition to drive," Dee stated, ushering Ryo into his car. "Cal said they were being taken to St. Francis. We'll get her at the precinct and then head for the hospital, okay?"

Upon receiving no response from his passenger, Dee looked over and saw Ryo staring vacantly straight ahead with his hands fisted in his lap. He was shaking slightly.

Dee grabbed one of Ryo's hands and wound their fingers together. "Stay with me, Ryo."

Ryo shook himself and tightened his grip on Dee's hand. He took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Dee made it to the precinct in record time. Cal was outside waiting for them. She jumped in without any preamble and Dee took off for the hospital. Cal hurriedly explained what happened up until she was able to get away.

"I was so scared! I didn't want to just leave them there, but I knew I had to go. Bikky was so brave…" she sniffed.

Ryo had been holding Dee's hand the entire time; his grip had loosened somewhat, but after hear the story from Cal, he tightened his hold. Dee didn't mind, but it was hard to drive one handed.

When they finally arrived at the hospital, Dee had to pry his hand loose. "I'm gonna need that," he said.

Ryo smiled sheepishly and ducked his head.

Just then, Bikky flew out of the building and straight into Ryo, who hugged him fiercely. Cal soon joined them, and Dee had to herd them out of the way. He managed to maneuver them into the waiting area.

After Bikky got a hold of himself, he was able to finish where Cal left off. He started tearing up as he relayed the ambulance ride.

"She was on the stretcher and the medic was checking on her and everything seemed fine. She was joking with me. I thought they would just stitch her up and send her home. Then she started coughing, and pretty soon there was blood everywhere. The paramedic guy said 'shit' and then he stuck a needle into her side. I don't know what—"

"Are you Randy Maclean?" a man asked, interrupting them.

"I am," Ryo said, and stood to shake the doctor's hand.

"I understand the Jane Doe is under your care?"

"Yes. Is she okay?"

"The stab wound was deep enough to puncture a lung, which is why she coughed up blood. She eventually began to bleed out into the chest cavity, causing the lung to collapse. Shortly after that, she went into respiratory arrest. We were able to repair the damage, however, so now she's resting in the recovery unit. I can take you to see her now, if you'd like."

"Yes, thank you," Ryo said.

Before they got very far, Bikky asked, "What about the guy? Did she kill him?"

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the tube down her throat. The second thing was that she was starving. As the attack came back to her, she was honestly concerned that she may have killed him. It would be a shame if he got off that easy.

She stretched slowly, taking care to not pull at her injured side. She sighed. The call button was slightly out of reach, so she was stuck with the tube for the moment. Wasn't that how she got into this mess?

No. Her "mother." And _that man._ Perhaps if she had been allowed to speak more than one syllable at a time with him, her vocal cords may not have atrophied like they did five years ago.

She frowned around the tube. She hated to consider it, but it was possible that the man from five years ago may have been sent by her former "owner" after he found out that she was still alive. He had seemed vaguely familiar at the time, but he quickly lost any recognizability after she clawed the hell out of his face. She smirked at that recollection. He may have nearly killed her afterwards, but he was permanently scarred for it.

She wondered briefly when someone was going to pull out this tube, but figured it was probably just as well. She didn't feel like talking right now.

Strange, that. After finally being physically able to speak, she didn't want to deal with it. Life was much simpler as a mute.

She listened to the Darth Vader-like sounds the respirator made for a while before suddenly coming to the realization that she needed a name. She didn't want to be "Jane" forever. As she drifted back to sleep, she thought to ask Bikky and Cal to help her.

Maybe over ice cream.

* * *

After much cajoling, Ryo convinced Bikky and Cal to spend the night with Cal's aunt. Neither of them wanted to leave the hospital and Jane, but they knew it was for the best. Dee and Ryo would stay in case Jane woke up. Both men were sitting on a couch in Jane's recovery room.

"Ryo, relax. Everything's going to be fine," Dee said. His partner was rigid and staring intently at Jane. He didn't acknowledge Dee at all.

Dee studied Ryo for a moment before deciding to take a calculated risk. He pulled Ryo down into his lap. Ryo yelped in surprise when his head hit Dee's thighs.

"Seriously. Relax. I'll keep up the vigil. You get some sleep."

"Dee…"

Dee silenced him with a kiss. "Just rest, okay?"

Ryo sighed in defeat. "You'll wake me if anything changes?"

"Yeah, now go to sleep already!"

"Thank you," Ryo said, and pushed himself up enough to kiss Dee.

* * *

It was darker than last time, so she figured it must be night. The tube was still in, much to her dismay. Darth Vader was still helping her breathe, but now he was snoring. Amused by that mental picture, she turned to look at the machine. Beyond it lay the source of the snoring. Dee was seated on the couch, one hand tangled in Ryo's hair and the other on his waist. Seeing them together like that made her happy. She didn't know why she was so intent on playing match maker. Maybe it was just because they had helped her so much and she wanted to return the favor the only way she felt she could.

In any event, though she hated to wake them, the tube had to go. Jane hit the bed a few times and tried to make noise, but to no avail. She thought for a moment before firing her pillow at them. It hit Dee squarely in the face and then flopped onto Ryo's head.

Dee woke up with a snort and caught Jane waving wildly at him. Thinking something was wrong, he leapt to his feet, only to dump Ryo off his lap and onto the floor.

Ryo made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a growl and started coughing. He struggled to his feet as Dee thumped him on the back. "I swallowed and inhaled at the same time," he explained, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Jane, you scared the shit outta me! Here I am thinking that you're dying or something and you have the nerve to be laughing!" Dee snapped.

Though her shoulders still shook in mirth, Jane bowed her head in apology.

A doctor poked his head in the door. "Is everything all right? I heard some noise."

"Yeah, doc thanks."

"Ah, I see that our patient is awake. That's good. Why don't we take that tube out, huh?"

Jane nodded vehemently, and the doctor called in a nurse to assist him. "Okay, deep breath in and…blow out!" the doctor commanded while pulling on the tube. The nurse held Jane steady as she choked the tube out.

When she got her breath back, Jane said, "No more tubes, please."

The doctor smiled. "We'll keep that in mind." He did a cursory check of her injury and monitored her breathing before declaring that all was well. She would need to stay at the hospital for at least another twenty four hours to make sure the stab wound and lung were healing properly.

After finishing, the nurse left and the doctor requested that Ryo and Dee join him in an office. He ordered Jane to get some more rest.

The doctor closed the door behind them as all three filed into a tiny office. "Have a seat, gentlemen. I'm Doctor Michael Verette, but you can call me Mike. I understand that you two are the detectives in charge of the serial rapist case?"

"Yeah. We've been trying to catch him for a while, so it was a good thing we were able to get Jane to help us," Dee said.

"I see. And her identity is still a mystery to you?"

"Yes. She has no memory of her real name or any other distinguishing characteristics that would help us in that matter."

"Hm."

Ryo and Dee looked at each other. "Doctor, is there something we should know that you aren't telling us?" Ryo asked.

DarkHorse says: Woo, I'm evil. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but my muse decided that would be a fabulous place to stop. Take your complaints to him, but he's a mean bastard, so don't expect any sympathy. And I still haven't decided if the villain is dead or alive yet. Thanks to all you who are reviewing and even the lurkers that aren't. You've made this my most read/reviewed story. Thank you!


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